Man's brain cancer inspires mother-in-law’s month-long challenge

(Image: Brain Tumour Research)

The mother-in-law of a man diagnosed with terminal brain cancer is nearing the end of a month-long challenge to help find a cure for the disease. Jane Paton, 61, of Horley in Surrey, is taking on the 200k in May Your Way challenge for Brain Tumour Research.

Her fundraiser is inspired by Graeme McAllen, who was diagnosed with a glioblastoma (GBM) in August 2023 after he experienced word finding difficulties during a conversation at work. The father-of-three, who owns a recruitment company, also from Horley, was placed on palliative radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

He was told an operation carried a high-risk of being left with life-changing injuries, and he was given just 12 to 18 months to live. After seeking a second opinion in January 2024, Graeme underwent an awake craniotomy, and 90% of his tumour was debulked.

The 42-year-old Chelsea FC fan is married to Jane's daughter, Tamara, 33, with whom he shares three sons, aged 14, four and 18 months. In a bid to buy Graeme more time with his children, the family is crowdfunding to enable them to source alternative treatments not yet available on the NHS.

Jane, who works as a teacher for adults with learning difficulties, said: "My daughter has been a force in seeking options to help her husband see their children grow up. Graeme wears a device on his head called Optune, which uses alternating electrical fields to cause cell death and stop the tumour growing so quickly.

"He has to shave his head completely because otherwise, he will suffer with burns due to the electrical pads being directly on the skin, which he has to wear it (sic) 20 hours a day for it to do anything - a huge commitment. He's had two rounds of immunotherapy in Cologne, Germany, which is a personalised vaccine administered monthly. The treatment will cost in excess of £100,000.

"We know the cancer is aggressive and that, when it grows back, it will do so at speed. We want to try everything we can to prolong his life in the hope that he will live long enough to see his boys grow up." Jane is more than halfway through her 200k in May challenge, which requires participants to walk, jog, run, cycle, swim, or combine activities to complete a 200km distance over the course of the month.

Jane said: "I have challenged myself in support of my son-in-law in his fight against his GBM. Alongside doing household chores and daily walks, I have found that weekly fitness classes has been a great way to increase my mileage.

"When I saw this challenge, I thought it was something I would enjoy doing, something I could focus on to help with my own well-being whilst also supporting the brain tumour community, which my family is now part of. I had no idea about the disease before it affected my family. You don't, really, unless you're living it.

"I was shocked to find out that just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to brain tumours since records began in 2002. We must take action now if we are to stop families from being ripped apart by this horrendous disease."

To donate, visit the website here.

Location: Horley in Surrey